Conventional jewelry clasps for securing two ends of a piece of jewelry together have several deficiencies. For instance, conventional jewelry clasps are difficult to engage and disengage; they are prone to breaking over time; they snag on clothing and hair; they are unnecessarily complex in mechanical design; and they lack security as they often inadvertently open, inter alia.
Specifically, in conventional clasps, the friction and tension of component parts on other component parts and with external objects, including but not limited to hair and clothing, cause wear over time. Such wear is one reason that these clasps often break or inadvertently disengage, and the like. Accordingly, a wearer must carefully engage and secure the jewelry clasp, making sure that overuse and stress on the clasp does not cause the clasp to break or inadvertently disengage, and the like. The result of a broken or inadvertently disengaged clasp can result in a very expensive item falling off of a wearer's arm or neck, or being lost, for example.
It has long been a goal of jewelry clasps to be simple to operate, of a simple mechanical design, and durably made, to name just a few of the generally sought after qualities of jewelry clasp users. It is also desirable to have a locking mechanism for the clasp that has a completely internal engagement mechanism design, both when the two engaging elements are engaged and during the entire process of engaging and disengaging the two component parts. For example, many of the conventional mechanisms aver to be “internal only.” However, they are only internal when the two parts are engaged, not during the process of engagement and disengagement. Having a completely internal clasping/locking mechanism is an important desire of jewelry clasp users because the latch or hook of a clasp is often protruding from the chamber or housing of the lock when the clasp is opened. The moment when the clasp is open also happens to be a time in which a user is likely to catch the apparatus on clothing and hair. Accordingly, having a hook tip that is internal will prevent a major source of snagging and breaking.
It is further desirable to have a completely internal, simple and durable stop mechanism. Conventionally, this goal has been achieved by having the existing components of the lock or clasp serve as the stop. This is thought to eliminate the need to add additional components to the clasp. For example, a pivot pin element is often used as the stop mechanism merely because it lies in the trajectory of the entering male element and is therefore going to stop the entering male element when they contact one another. However, this design has the disadvantage of putting pressure on the pivot pin element, for example, every time the engaging action is taken. Additionally, to remove the male element, a release tab or the like is usually depressed, which causes the pivot pin to force the male element out of the housing. This conventional disengagement action requires more force to be applied to the release tab as well as adding additional friction of the component parts between one another. Although this may not be a significant amount of force on the pin or other components, a person who wears jewelry with a clasp three times per week will engage and disengage the jewelry a minimum of 780 times over a five year period, and 1,560 times over a ten year period. A small amount of pressure so many times can result in breakage.
Thus, a device that it simple, entirely internal to a housing, and one that limits the stress of years of snagging, engaging, disengaging, etc., is highly desirable and not disclosed by any previous art. Some of the previous art is described below, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety as if they were repeated in full herein.
One type of conventional mechanical stop is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,794,814 (hereinafter “the '814 patent”), and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The '814 patent explains that most mechanical devices are increasingly reliable as the construction of the device becomes simpler. Thus, with this general idea in mind, a clasp with one hundred component parts, with everything else being equal, will be less reliable than a device performing the same function with only five component parts. Therefore, a simple mechanical stop, for example, is desirable.
An example of an entire clasp is provided for in U.S. Pat. No. 6,481,069 (hereinafter “the '069 patent”), and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The '069 patent shows a clasp having an external mechanical stop comprising a sleeve that protrudes outside of the general frame of the housing. In addition, the '069 patent places the pivot directly in the trajectory of the male engaging part, which requires larger pivot range to engage and disengage the two component parts. Finally, the apparatus of the '069 patent is not entirely internal, as FIG. 6, in particular, shows that the entire latch raises outside and beyond the periphery of the general structure when it is in the process of preparing to receive the male component.
Another example of a entire clasp is provided for in U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,562 (hereinafter “the '562 patent”), and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The '562 patent shows a clasp with an externally-protruding stop, a pin directly in the trajectory of the male engaging element, and a male engaging element that directly contacts the hook. Therefore, friction exists between the hook and the pin, such that disengaging the clasp requires more force and wear and tear over time is likely to increase. Additionally, when the groove in the apparatus of the '562 patent is depressed, the hook extends well beyond the periphery/frame of the device, which increases the likelihood that such extensions will get caught on external objects.
Yet another example of an entire clasp is described in U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2003/0066171 (hereinafter “Terzian”), and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Terzian shows a hook that, when opened, extends well outside of the frame of the clasped device. In addition, the insertion element in Terzian directly abuts the stop portion, which is integral with the catch element. Further, the trajectory of the insertion element is directed towards the pin of the pivot. Even further, the male element has a circular notch which acts as an external catch.